On the hunt - Dunbeholden seek Mount Pleasant scalp in RSPL showdown

Coach of high-riding Red Stripe Premier League club Dunbeholden, Michael Cohen, said they will be looking to continue their good run of results when they go up against big-spending Mount Pleasant at Royal Lakes Complex this afternoon, starting at 3.

The promoted St Catherine-based team is coming off two consecutive wins, the first time they have managed back-to-back wins in the league this season, and they go up against a Mount Pleasant team that has fallen from grace and is now languishing in seventh position in the standings after an impressive start following their promotion to top-flight football.

Cohen believes that with the confidence boost they have gained from their last two results, his team is more than capable of another strong performance, and he is expecting to get a positive result against the free-falling Mount Pleasant at home.

"Our team is really upbeat now as the wins have boosted our confidence. But we are not taking any team lightly because we know it's going to be a tough game. But we are going for three points, although the main aim is not to lose this game," Cohen said.

Mount Pleasant have won just once in their last six games, suffering three defeats and two draws along the way, and Cohen believes his team can make the most of their form and take advantage of their opponents' vulnerability.

FIRST DEFEAT

In fact, Dunbeholden have already enjoyed success against their fellow RSPL batchmates, having beaten them 1-0 at Drax Hall in their first meeting this season. That result was Mount Pleasant's first defeat in the league after their impressive start to top-flight football saw them earn seven points from their first three games.

Cohen is banking on his boys to keep things going in the right direction for the club.

"Yes, we expect to continue the good run we are on because the guys are playing much more relaxed and comfortable. They are also playing more as a team than as individuals, and that was one of our issues earlier in the season. But we are taking every game as a final, so we are looking to go all out every game," said Cohen. "We just need to score our chances as we are playing well and creating chances. But we have been working on our finishing, so the guys are doing much better in front of the goal, but we are expecting a win against Mount Pleasant."

The game is a rescheduled contest, originally set for December 19 but affected by a match-official strike.

Meanwhile, in other games, leaders Portmore United (39 points) will try to rebound from their defeat to UWI when they face Montego Bay United at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.

MoBay sit at the foot of the table on 19 points, the same as Dunbeholden, and will be hunting a second straight win after their 1-0 win over Mount Pleasant in their last assignment, after going six games without a win in the league.

In the late game, ninth-place Harbour View (24) will look to extend their unbeaten run to five games when they face third-place Cavalier (37) in east Kingston, hoping to hand the Rudolph Speid team just their second loss in the second round.

Harbour View coach Fabian Taylor, who replaced Ricardo Gardner following his resignation a few weeks ago, says the team will miss ace midfielder Peter-Lee Vassell, who has been contracted to Los Angeles Football Club in US Major League Soccer.

Taylor is hoping other players will fill the void left by the influential playmaker.

"We are going to miss Peter-Lee; he is a very important player for us. But we have young players that can do a job for us, and we are hoping someone steps up and do a similar job as Peter-Lee," Taylor commented.